by Elyse Riggs
I laugh. Then I put my sun hat on. “Now, we get a lay of the land. The official meeting’s not for a few minutes. I want you to do some practice surveillance. Take a few minutes and notice the things around you. Call them out.”
“Ugh,” he says as he attempts to get more comfortable in his chair. “Tourists in tacky bathing suits.”
“Like us, Chase,” I chastise him. “That’s literally us right now, or have you not noticed the looks we’re getting. Now try to notice what’s going on around us without the judgement, please.”
“Easy for you to say, nobody in their right mind is going to call your bathing suit tacky. I have gigantic yellow flowers on mine.”
I look over and see him looking down at his bathing suit. Honestly, all I can see are washboard abs, a chiseled jawline with just the right amount of stubble, and messy brown hair that I want to tousle. Who cares about flowers? He’d be hot in any bathing suit. Or none at all. Stop getting distracted, Kaylee.
Still, it’s really cute to see him so self-conscious. “You look perfect, stop getting distracted. Surveillance, please.”
“Okay, my family is off to the right, looking around suspiciously at literally everybody except us. Nicely done, Kaylee.”
I do a slight bow with my head. “Thank you very much, keep going.”
“Ahead of us in the water, off in the distance there are a few surfers in the water. Some swimmers. And a never-ending bloody stream of those annoying paddle boarders.”
“Bingo.”
He turns to me, his brow furrowed. “Does bingo mean you think they’re annoying too or are you making fun of me again?”
“Bingo means hey, Chase, are your family members paying a damn bit of attention to what the paddleboarders are doing?” I watch as the meaning dawns on him and his eyes get wide.
“Oh, I know you’re smart and all, but even I underestimated you this time, Kaylee. You’re going to go out there and paddleboard right by and my brother won’t even care. It’s sheer genius.”
“Ha!” I yell almost loud enough to attract attention. “Are you crazy? In this bathing suit? They’d notice me ten seconds in. Like you said earlier. But a guy in a cheap, garish, yellow bathing suit with a football cap on? They won’t give you a second look.”
“You’re kidding,” he says without laughing. “Besides, it’s almost time. We don’t have time to set something like that up.”
I lean forward and point to the right where a guy in a resort uniform is standing awkwardly next to a paddleboard and looking around. It’s almost time.
“There,” I say, pointing. “Do you see that guy in the uniform? He’s got everything ready for you. His name’s Tim. Go on, wave at him.”
I wave across the beach at Tim.
Chase sits up and waves, looking sheepish. “You’re kidding right?”
“You don’t have much time; you’d better get going. Just get close enough to hear what the board is saying to Liam, and then when you get too far past the conversation, turn around and make another run at it. Keep your hat pulled down and you should be fine.”
It’s my turn to watch his fine ass walk down the beach. In an incredibly bold move, he chooses to walk in front of instead of behind his relatives. I’m impressed.
Still, he walks right on past without so much as raising an eyebrow from them. He even manages to receive a few dirty looks for getting too close to the upper class. I smile and grab my book out of the cooler. Hey, I have to keep a few secrets to myself.
Then I pick up my lounge chair and and move it closer to the beach and even further to the right. Close enough so that the waves are lapping at the front of the chair. Then I re-fix the towel placement on the chair and get back in.
There’s nothing left to do now but pretend to read my romance novel while keeping an eye on Chase and the other Covingtons. It’s showtime.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Kaylee
When the board meeting starts, I almost miss it, having gotten sucked into the book I’m reading.
You know the one, boy meets girl. The two of them end up being absolutely perfect for each other but fight it every step of the way. Then hilarity ensues until they defy all odds to fall hopelessly in love. It’s my favorite kind of book. If only real life was like that.
Chase is on the move on the paddleboard. He’s a little wobbly at first, but then he finds his footing and looks more comfortable. Atta boy.
I watch him paddle right to left and right now he’s keeping a good distance from the shore. Smart, he’s getting his feet under him and not attracting attention too early.
Liam wades out into the water. I watch as he fake laughs and rolls his eyes when the meeting starts, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else on earth except here in this meeting. I don’t blame him.
Then a thought strikes me. I forgot about the paparazzi. Turning around, I scan the area toward the Beaky Tiki looking for them. I know that the Covington family has bodyguards doing their best to keep the photographers at a distance, but those jackals are getting more and more desperate. And they have zoom lenses.
Sure enough, I find some. It’s not hard, they stick out likes sore thumbs. But then again, Liam is a Covington too, and he isn’t exactly being subtle.
I sit back into my lounge chair wishing I had brought popcorn. This is going to be even more fun than I thought. As long as I don’t move or look at Liam and don’t point a camera in his direction, he’s predictably way too busy and self-involved to pay attention to anyone.
I carefully place my phone next to my book and get ready to turn it on. The meeting is probably still in the meet and greet phase anyway. I smile to myself, set up the directional recording device that Bluetooth connects to my phone, and hit record. There was this one time that Fi dated a private investigator briefly, and he gave these little recording devices to Angie and me for Christmas. Until now, I was sure I was never, ever going to need it. If I’m being honest, the whole situation is getting exciting.
Right on cue, Chase moves closer to shore while riding a wave and then cuts across the water toward Liam. He’s not alone, either. The beach is crowded with paddleboarders today. It makes his job easier and harder at the same time.
I wonder if he’s actually going to get close enough to hear anything. Then he does the cutest thing. He actually looks up at me and waves. I smile and wave back.
Brilliant piece of undercover work, that. It just cements his place as a tourist. I make a mental note to try to remember to compliment him on it later.
His next pass by Liam, I can see that he’s starting to get closer. He leans over toward him on the board and stops paddling. Liam doesn’t notice, but eventually his momentum carries Chase right past him. I can see that Chase’s face is a growing mask of frustration. I chuckle to myself.
The second pass that Chase makes gets even a little more dangerous. I see Liam look right at Chase, causing him to lower his head and his hat as he continues paddling by. That was close. A third pass is going to get risky, even with the other paddle boarders on the water.
Then, just as Chase is finishing his recent pass, another boarder gets pissed at the bottleneck. He takes off, splashing Liam a little and threatening the top-secret phone call meeting.
Liam immediately shoots the paddleboarder a dirty look and backs up ten feet closer to the shore. Once there, he looks around to see that nobody is walking the shoreline near him.
He studies the area all the way around him and sees me sitting in the same chair in the same spot reading the same book. He manages to look right at me, but still doesn’t notice. Well, he doesn’t notice my face. Then, satisfied that he’s alone again, he turns his attention back to his meeting.
As I suspect, when Liam moves closer to shore, I’m even more within range. The audio signal, already understandable, gets even clearer. Which is good because now Liam is practically whispering. And with the sound being recorded automatically, I don’t have to try to eavesdrop or let on that I’m li
stening or that I care at all.
To any and all casual observers, I’m just a super-hot chick in a bikini reading a fantastic, red-hot romance novel. Nothing to see here, folks.
When I glance up, Chase looks desperate. He tries another pass but can’t get close enough to shore to hear Liam anymore. For one, because Liam is now avoiding paddleboarders, and two, because he can’t get much closer to shore than he already is because of the fins on the board. He shoots me a desperate look, but I throw him another small wave and as indiscreet of a thumbs up as I can manage without laughing out loud.
In any case, he eventually paddles back over to Tim and gives all of the equipment back. And by the time he comes back over to take his spot on the lounge chair next to me, Liam is gone. Or in the wind as the saying goes according to the private investigator novels that I’ve read.
This time, Chase is able to get into the lounge chair more easily, and after stretching out, he gives me a grumpy look. “It was a decent plan, but I only heard a tiny piece of the conversation,” he says accusingly, as if my plan failed him.
“What happened to Oh, Kaylee, you’re a genius?” I ask.
“Well, if I got more than a few words of the entire meeting, I’d be happy. I didn’t say the word fail; you did. But I don’t feel like that went well at all. And you looked way too happy with me out there doing all the work.”
“Oh, it’s going to be like that, huh?” I ask him, tsking and shaking my head. Then I sigh because of how put upon I am. There’s a long pause while I shrug dramatically in exasperation. Then I lean over to dig in the cooler for a moment and produce a pair of earbuds.
“How do those help?” he asks.
I hand over the earbuds and he accepts them like I’m giving him a dead snake. “You see, when you scared Liam off, closer to shore, he got suspicious and moved closer to me than to you. I just set up this lovely state-of-the-art snooping device and hit record on my phone.”
I do my best Vanna White impression, showing off the small piece of technological spying equipment, and then hand him my phone as well. For now, he’d have to listen to the recording off the app on my phone. “Now all you gotta do is hit play, playa.”
He accepts the phone and his eyes get as big as saucers. He picks up the recording device between his thumb and forefinger and inspects it. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” I answer, not hiding my smugness at all. I figure I’m entitled.
“Kaylee, I concede. You are an evil genius, and I’m glad you’re on my side.”
I sit up. “I told you I had your back. My plan was well thought out and had all of our angles covered. Plus, pictures of that little meeting of his is going to be splashed on every news site in the state within half an hour.”
“What do you mean?” He asks.
“Zoom lenses. Paparazzi. And the fact that Liam is not very subtle.”
He chuckles. “That’s true, subtlety has never been his thing.”
I laugh at that, then I see someone approaching on the beach. Son of a bitch. It’s Ralph again. Seriously, what in the hell is he doing out here every day? I can’t let him see me.
So, aware that I don’t want another beach chair boner situation, I deftly roll out of my own beach chair into the sand between my chair and Chase’s. Then I crawl across the sand, lean over, and kiss Chase. Only this time, I do it without climbing on top of him. This way I am facing the opposite direction when Ralph walks by a mere several feet from where I’m sitting.
I press my lips against his softly, attempting to not look like a barracuda trying to eat off his face. He takes the surprise kiss well. Especially considering it’s not the first time. But first he drops both the phone and earbuds into the sand with a soft thud. Then he joins the kiss.
I feel bad for doing the same thing to Chase two days in a row. I guess I’m going to have to start accounting for Ralph to go striding past whenever I make afternoon beach plans from now on.
Instead of getting angry at me for surprise kissing him. Again. Chase surprises me. By sliding his tongue into my mouth. Then he escalates and puts a hand on my waist, causing all kinds of butterflies to shimmy there.
“Tone it down, lover boy,” I whisper, breathless and surprised from the exchange. It’s supposed to be the other way around. He’s the one who is supposed to be blindsided by the kiss.
“Hey,” he whispers back, “you’re the one who jumped on top of me. Again. Remember?”
“It’s Ralph again,” I whisper complain, “I have no idea why he’s out here every day walking the beach in his work outfit.”
I’m starting to get curious, though. Ralph’s pace isn’t a leisurely scenic stroll either, he’s stalking down the beach like a madman, pant legs rolled up, scowl on his face. The walk looks like something between a manic power walk and I’m late to stab somebody with my kitchen knife.
I’m still wondering what the hell Ralph is doing out here every day in such a hurry when Chase pulls me into another kiss.
I smile at him. “What’s this one for?”
“I thought I saw Liam,” he smirks and then the dimple comes back.
I open up the cooler again and find a tank top and shorts to go over the bikini I’m wearing, then I ditch the hat. “Okay. I’ll be back, babe.”
He digs my phone and earbuds out of the sand. “Where are you off to now?”
“The usual. Lunch with my friends. Pretty sure I earned it. Keep the phone for now.” I wink at him and then start out on the hot, sandy, not-too-far journey to the Beaky Tiki.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chase
I can’t wipe the grin off of my face as I watch Kaylee leave. I never get tired of that view, even if it’s just a weekend.
And she’s right, she earned a lunch date. The audio she recorded is fantastic quality. Of course, when Liam retreated from me and the other paddleboarders, he had fallen right into her trap. It was a clever plan.
It hits me that I’m going to miss her, and I don’t want to think about having to leave tomorrow afternoon. It’s a shame this weekend ever has to come to an end.
But right now, I should get back to the recording and concentrate. So far, the audio is nothing but catching up and gossip. At least Kaylee started recording before they got to the good stuff.
Then I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. It’s Kaylee. She hasn’t gotten far in her trek to the Beaky Tiki. And even worse, there’s some guy in her face.
I pause the recording and yank the earbuds out so that I can listen. Whatever they’re talking about, it looks like it’s getting heated. I can’t make out everything, but I do not at all like the body language the guy is using on her.
I sit up to a crouch, wondering if I should jump in. Will she be angry if I jump in? Is she okay?
My muscles coil and I realize I’m already in fight or flight mode. Then the guy steps forward and knocks her hat off. A rage I have never experienced before rises in my chest. It wants me to unleash it. All of my blood races to my head and I have murder on my mind.
I hear myself snarl as I jump up and race over to Kaylee. I step in between her and the guy.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kaylee
I stroll off without a care in the world walking to the Tiki as fast as I can manage in the hot summer sun. For once, there’s nothing on my mind except the recent surveillance victory and lunch with my friends when someone looms into my field of vision.
I look up in surprise and then alarm. Shit, it’s Brad. And he’s pissed. What the fuck? What is he doing here and why is he mad when he’s the one who robbed me? By the look on his face, anybody would think it was the other way around.
“There you are,” he says. He’s gained at least ten pounds and it does not look good on him. “You got a lot of nerve, Kaylee,” he says, pointing a threatening finger at me and standing there looking stupid in his shorts and a collared shirt. That tips me off that he has apparently come to threaten me on his lunch hour.
&n
bsp; I take a step forward instead of back, because fuck him. “What are you talking about, asshole? You’re the one who stole from me.”
“You sent the cops,” he says and then spits into the sand close to my foot.
The part about the cops surprises me. In fact, I can’t figure out what surprises me more. The cops finally getting around to investigating or Brad being able to find me on his lunch hour to grouse about it. I wish he were in jail, it’s where he belongs.
“So?” I ask. “That’s what happens when you steal somebody else’s money. I’ll tell you what. If you give me back every penny, I’ll call them off.” I wouldn’t, but I figure he’s probably spent it already anyway. I just want to see his reaction.
His face turns another two shades of red and sweat drips down his face. “Bitch! You know that money’s not around anymore. You might as well just forget about it if you know what’s good for you.”
“That money? It wasn’t that money, Brad. It was my money. It was all the money I had, and none of it belonged to you. You selfish, thieving, asshole,” I say. Then I realize what a waste of time all of this is. I decide to walk past him and keep my lunch date at the Beaky with my friends. He’s not worth it. “I hope they throw you in jail.”
He takes an aggressive step forward and knocks the oversized hat off of my head.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chase
I stand in between the asshole and Kaylee. I’m thinner than the asshole, but definitely taller and stronger. “I don’t know who you are, asshole, but you need to leave.” I take a step forward to intimidate him, and my words are a snarl.
The guy sneers up at me, holding his ground. His face is beet red, and he already looks like he’s going to have a coronary. “Who the fuck are you?”